BLOC PARTY CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF SILENT ALARM

Yesterday (07/07/24), fans of the indie trailblazers Bloc Party celebrated 20 years of their iconic debut album Silent Alarm with an enormous outdoor London show. The milestone Crystal Palace Park Show welcomed fans from across the country, eager to share this unique moment in true Bloc Party ‘party’ atmosphere.

Crowds gather for 20 Years of Bloc Party (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)
Crowds gather for 20 Years of Bloc Party (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)

On the initial announcement of the show, lead vocalist Kele Okereke of Bloc Party said: “We’ve been having so much fun playing shows over the past year, so it makes sense to do something special for old and new fans, celebrating twenty years of Bloc Party. We heard from a lot of people that they couldn’t get tickets for the Silent Alarm gigs, so a one-off summer party playing that and the bangers feels like the right thing to do.”

And a Summer Party they delivered (even if the weather didn’t quite get the memo) and warming up the crowd at Crystal Palace Park were Connie Constance, The Mysterines, Friendly Fires and The Hives.

The Hives (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)
The Hives (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)
The Hives (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)
The Hives (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)
The Hives (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)
The Hives (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)
The Hives (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)
The Hives (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)
The Hives (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)
The Hives (Maggie Zhu/Northern Exposure)

Having opened the gates early afternoon (1pm), the main event kicked off a little just after 8pm. As well as playing Silent Alarm in its entirety, Bloc Party treated fans to a greatest hits set which celebrated their longevity as one of the biggest names in the noughties indie revival.